John 'Motty' Motson: The man who created the art of tv commentary

The much-loved voice of Match of the Day passed away on Thursday.

I SAY: John Motson created much of what the art of football commentary was to become.

A little known fact about John Motson, who has died at the age of 77, is that he was actually a Mancunian by birth, born in Salford, the son of a Methodist minister. The words ‘institution’ and ‘legend’ are bandied around lightly in football, but Motty was both.

He was heard on Match of the Day from 1971 - 2018, but unlike that other commentating legend Barry Davies, Motty only covered football and thus became the warp and weft of BBC coverage. He was ingrained in all our football DNA, his voice as familiar as a member of our own family’s.